Television antenna and connector apparatus



Oct. 10, 1967 D. J. SIEBOLD TELEVISION ANTENNA AND CONNECTOR APPARATUSFiled Dec. 17, 1964 INVENTORI United States Patent;

This invention concerns a television antenna and connector apparatusand, more particularly, apparatus for facilitating orientation of anindoor antenna and for selectively mounting and connecting indoorantenna and outdoor antenna leads to a television receiver.

Depending upon the strength of television channel signals and thedistance of the television receiver from the source of each signal, anindoor antenna may be sufiicient for receiving some channel signalswhereas an outdoor antenna may be required for clear reception of othersignals. With the expanding use of portable television receivers, thereis an added demand for quick and easy antenna connector apparatus sinceoutdoor antenna leads may not be available in every room where thereceiver may be carried. 7

Hence, it is incumbent upon the person operating the receiver to be ableto connect and disconnect various antennas to enjoy optimum reception,and it is incumbent upon the manufacturer to produce a connectorapparatus which facilitates antenna connection and which insures that aninexperienced operator will not impair reception by simultaneouslyconnecting both antennas to the receiver.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an indoor antennaand connector apparatus for alternately connecting indoor antenna andoutdoor antenna leads.

Another object of this invention is to provide an indoor antennaconnector apparatus which facilitates orientation of the indoor antenna.

Still another object is to provide an antenna and connector apparatuswhich insures that only one antenna will be connected to the receiver atany one particular time.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent as the followingdescription proceeds and the invention itself is set forth in the claimsannexed to and forming part of the specification.

-' cent holes in the back wall of a television receiver and are securedtherein by the locking tabs. The transverse portion of each U-shapedbracket has a threaded aperture through which a threaded locking memberis advanced. A loop-shaped indoor antenna is mounted in the bracket ele-1 ments for rotation about an axis passing through the center of theloop. The threaded locking member frictionallymaintains the antennaelement in any position to which it is oriented. The position of theantenna may be selectively changed by manually rotating the antennaelement against the frictional force exerted by the locking members. Toengage the outdoor antenna leads, each locking member is disengaged, theantenna element is withdrawn from the bracket elements, and each lockingelement is advanced inwardly so as to frictionally engage clips on theoutdoor lead wires when the clips are inserted between a portion of thebracket and an enlarged head on the threaded locking member.

For a better understanding of this invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the indoor antenna element and theconnector apparatus mounted on a wall of a television receiver.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the bracket elements inrelation to a wall of a television receiver.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of one of the bracket elements illustratedin FIGURE 2 when mounted on the receiver wall and while supporting theindoor antenna element.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 3 after the indoorantenna element has been withdrawn from the bracket elements and theoutdoor antenna leads are secured thereto.

Referring to FIGURE 1, an indoor antenna element 1 is illustrated havinga loop-shaped wire structure. The antenna element has first and secondindoor antenna lead members 2 and 3 adjacently positioned insubstantially parallel arrangement to an axis A passing through thecenter of the loop and between the two lead members.

Each of the indoor lead members 2 and 3 is secured in a separate bracketelement 4 and 5, respectively. The bracket elements are, in turn,fixedly secured in a wall 6 of a television receiver 7 (shown only inpart). The

bracket elements are illustrated in more detail in FIGURE 2. Since eachbracket element 4 and 5 has an identical construction, only theconstruction of bracket element 4 will be discussed.

The bracket element 4 is comprised of two parallel,

adjacently disposed leg portions L and L with a transverse portion Tformed integrally with adjacent ends of the leg portions L and L The legportion L is provided with a terminal 711 at its extremity to which issoldered or otherwise connected the appropriate lead within thereceiver. The leg portions together with the ransverse portion forms agenerally U-shaped structure. The outer I surface of each leg portion Land L has a pair of spaced locking tabs 8 and 9, and 10 and 11,respectively, formed by a portion of the leg which has been cut and bentoutwardly. Each of the leg portions L and L has a pair of indoor leadsreceiving apertures 12 and 13, respectively. A common axis A through thecenter of each indoor lead receiving aperture 12 and 13 is substantiallyparallel to the transverse portion T of the bracket element 4 asillustrated in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. The apertures 12 and 13 allowinsertion of the indoor lead member into the bracket element 4. v

A locking slot S, having 'a width substantially equal to the distancebetween the parallel leg portions on the bracket element, is provided inthe television receiver wall 6 into which the bracket element isinserted for mounting v on the wall.

Due to the resiliency of the U-shaped bracket element, the ends of theleg portions may be bent toward each other in response to pinchingpressure appliedthereto in order "to allow the locking tabs to clear thelocking slot upon insertionof the bracket element into the slot. Afterthe element has been inserted so that the wall portion i's disposedwithin the space between the locking tabs, release of the pressureexerted on the bracket element enables the leg portions to return to aparallel position, thus enabling the locking tabs to engage both sidesof the receiver wall 6 for securing the bracket element thereto.

I-t'will be appreciated that various other methods of .securing thebrackets 4 and 5 to the receiver wall 6 might be employed within thespirit and scope of the invention. For example, other locking tabarrangements might be employed or the brackets might be staked or heatsealed to the receiver.

The antenna element 1 is supported by the adjacent disposed bracketelements 4 and 5 so that the antenna element may pivot, in response tomanual force applied thereto, about the axis A Since rotation of theantenna element 1 causes stresses within its structure which tend torestore the antenna to its initial position, a locking member '14 isemployed to frictionally engage the surface of the indoor lead members 2and 3 so as to prevent rotation of the antenna element 1 in response tostresses created therein. The locking element 14, which may have theform of a screw, has a threaded shank portion 15 which is threaded intoa threaded aperture 16 through the transverse portion T of the bracketelement 4. The axis A of the threaded aperture is substantiallyperpendicular to the common axis A of the indoor lead receivingapertures 12 and 13, as illustrated in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. When thelocking member 14 is advanced through the threaded aperture 16 so thatthe tip of the shank engages the surface of the indoor lead member 2 asillustrated in FIG- URE 3, the friction force created thereby issuflicient to resist rotation of the antenna element in response tostresses within the wire structure, but the friction force is overcomewhen a manual force is applied to the antenna element for orienting thesame. Consequently, the antenna element will remain in any desiredposition to which it is manually rotated.

The locking element 14 has an enlarged head portion 17 which, when theindoor antenna element 1 has been withdraw from the bracket elements 4and 5, is engageable with an outdoor lead member 18 as illustrated inFIG- URE 4. When the indoor antenna element 1 has been Withdrawn fromthe bracket and, hence, the indoor lead members 2 and 3 no longer arepositioned in the indoor lead receiving apertures, only then can thelocking element 14 be advanced through the threaded aperture 16 so as tofrictionally engage an outdoor lead element 18 between the enlarged headportion 17 of the locking element 14 and the transverse portion T of thebracket element, as indicated in FIGURE 4. Similarly, when the outdoorlead element is engaged by the locking element 14 the insertion of theindoor lead members 2 and 3 into the bracket is prevented. Thus,simultaneous connection of both antennas is avoided.

From the foregoing discussion, it will be apparent that the antenna andconnector apparatus facilitates orientation of an indoor antenna, andallows selective engagement and disengagement of indoor and outdoorantenna lead elements to a television receiver while insuring that atall times only one antenna is connected to the receiver.

While a specific embodiment of this invention has been shown anddescribed, it is not intended that the invention be limited to theparticular structure and it is intended by the appended claims to coverall modifications within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. An antenna and connector apparatus for selectively connecting anindoor antenna and an outdoor antenna to a television receivercomprising:

(A) an indoor antenna element having a wire structure with first andsecond parallel, adjacently disposed indoor lead members projectingtherefrom,

(B) bracket means attached to the television receiver for engaging saidindoor lead members and for supporting said indoor antenna element,

(C) adjustable locking means on said bracket means, said adjustablelocking means having a first portion for frictionally engaging saidparallel, adjacently disposed indoor lead members to frictionallymaintain said antenna element in a set position after being manuallyoriented thereto, and

(D) said adjustable locking means having a second portion forfrictionally engaging outdoor lead mernbers when said indoor leadmembers are disengaged from said bracket.

2. An antenna and connector apparatus for selectively connecting anindoor antenna and an outdoor antenna to a television receivercomprising:

(A) an indoor antenna element having a wire structure with first andsecond parallel, adjacently disposed indoor lead members projectingtherefrom,

(B) a first and a second bracket element attached to the televisionreceiver for engaging said first and second indoor lead members and forsupporting said indoor antenna element, said first and second bracketelements alternately receiving a first and a second outdoor antenna leadmember,

(C) adjustable locking means on each of said first and.

second bracket elements, each of said locking means having a firstportion for frictionally engaging one of said parallel, adjacentlydisposed indoor lead members and for supporting said indoor antennaelement, said locking means enabling said indoor antenna element torotate about an axis parallel to and midway between said parallel indoorlead members, and

(D) each of said locking means having a second portion for frictionallyengaging one of said outdoor lead members when said indoor lead membersare disengaged from said bracket elements.

3. An antenna and connector apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein eachof said first and second bracket elements comprises:

(A) first and second substantially parallel leg portions with atransverse portion formed integrally with adjacent ends of said firstand second leg portions,

(B) a plurality of locking tabs on each of said leg portions forengaging both sides of a wall defining a locking slot on the televisionreceiver for securing said bracket element to the television set whensaid leg portions are inserted into said locking slot, and

(C) an indoor lead receiving aperture through each of said leg portionsfor receiving one of said indoor lead members on said indoor antennaelement whereby said first and second bracket elements support saidindoor antenna element on the television receiver for rotation about anaxis passing between said bracket elements when said indoor lead membersare inserted into said lead receiving apertures in each of said bracketelements.

4. An antenna and connector apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein saidadjustable engagement means on each of said first and second bracketelements comprises:

(A) a threaded aperture through said transverse portion having an axissubstantially perpendicular to the common axis of said indoor leadreceiving apertures and (B) a locking member having an extended threadedshank portion for threading through said threaded aperture and anenlarged head portion whereby thev tip of said shank portion isfrictionally engageable with one of said indoor lead members when saidindoor antenna element is mounted in said bracket element, and saidenlarged head portion is frictionally engageable with one of saidoutdoor lead members only when said indoor antenna element is withdrawnfrom said bracket element.

No references cited.

ELI LIEBERMAN, Primtary Examiner

1. AN ANTENNA AND CONNECTOR APPARATUS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING ANINDOOR ANTENNA AND AN OUTDOOR ANTENNA TO A TELEVISION RECEIVERCOMPRISING: (A) AN INDOOR ANTENNA ELEMENT HAVING A WIRE STRUCTURE WITHFIRST AND SECOND PARALLEL, ADJACENTLY DISPOSED INDOOR LEAD MEMBERSPROJECTING THEREFROM, (B) BRACKET MEANS ATTACHED TO THE TELEVISIONRECEIVER FOR ENGAGING SAID INDOOR LEAD MEMBERS AND FOR SUPPORTING SAIDINDOOR ANTENNA ELEMENT, (C) ADJUSTABLE LOCKING MEANS ON SAID BRACKETMEANS, SAID ADJUSTABLE LOCKING MEANS HAVING A FIRST PORTION FORFRICTIONALLY ENGAGING SAID PARALLEL, ADJACENTLY DISPOSED INDOOR LEADMEMBERS TO FRICTIONALL MAINTAIN SAID ANTENNA ELEMENT IN A SET POSITIONAFTER BEING MANUALLY ORIENTED THERETO, AND (D) SAID ADJUSTABLE LOCKINGMEANS HAVING A SECOND PORTION FOR FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING OUTDOOR LEADMEMBERS WHEN SAID INDOOR LEAD MEMBERS ARE DISENGAGED FROM SAID BRACKET.